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Baird praises Abbott's MH17 response

NSW Premier Mike Baird has used the NSW Liberal Party annual conference to praise Prime Minister Tony Abbott's handling of the MH17 disaster.

Mr Baird said he was proud of the way Mr Abbott had responded to what he called "an unspeakable horror, an unspeakable tragedy".

"Today we need to pause for family and friends who lost loved ones on MH17," Mr Baird told delegates in Sydney.

"But I also have to say how proud I am of our prime minister.

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"He has handled the events of last week like no one else I can imagine. He has responded as a leader, as a father, as a husband, not in response to some cautious diplomatic briefing ... he was responding for our families, for our state, for our country... he is doing an outstanding job and we are very lucky to have him."

Treasurer Joe Hockey was also full of praise.

"The leadership Tony Abbott, (foreign minister) Julie Bishop ... and the entire team has shown over the tragic, heinous event in Ukraine are simply the values of Australia that are embodied in our prime minister," he told the conference.

"It's in moments of adversity that we want strength and the strength displayed by the government reflects the inner strength of the Australian people."

The comments came as Australian politicians and foreign diplomats prepare to attend a memorial service in Canberra to remember victims of the MH17 crash.

The world continues to mourn more than a week after the Malaysia Airlines passenger jet was shot down over eastern Ukraine killing all 298 people on board. Up to 39 Australian residents and citizens are among those killed.